Marked for death, Alexis accompanies her lover, Yeron, and four survivors of a zombie invasion on a search for the renegades who created a chemical that induces a zombie-like state. On the way, ravenous flesh-eaters attack Alexis’s team; one survivor turns on her. She realizes too late that the renegades have been tracking her every move. When officials capture her, she becomes deathly ill. Can DNA splicing save her? Will Yeron’s attempts at rescue jeopardize all their lives?

Barbara lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she works full time as a respiratory therapist. When she’s not working with her patients, she’s enjoying a fright flick or working on horror and science fiction tales. She’s published Night to Dawn magazine since 2004.

Other books by Barbara include Twilight Healer, City of Brotherly Death, Infinite Sight, and Steel Rose; also novellas Close Liaisons and Life Raft: Earth. She enjoys bringing her medical background to the printed page, and then blending it with supernatural horror. She maintains a presence on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and The Writers Coffeehouse forum. Look for the photos with the Mylar balloons, and you’ll find her.

In the gloom, her light cut jagged circles around three skeletal figures weaving through the door. Their bloated, pus-stained faces drooled blood and saliva, two of them bald, and the third with a hollowed-out skull. Two more figures lurched through, followed by others. All of them worked swollen, blistered jaws, their groans sounding like pebbles rattling in their windpipes.
Alexis screamed.
She couldn’t kill them all, not with one hand carrying a flashlight. This was worse than the invasion at Jackson Hospital. Back there, she had daylight and the men with her. Now she only had her Maglite. She could pick them off with her thoughts, one by one, and maybe take out three, but the rest would be on her. Maybe she could sedate them with the blue ray. Then she’d step over them and run.
More walkers crowded the doorway. Alexis backed away from the door, step-by-step, stall after stall, firing the blue ray. The figures kept coming, their cadaverous faces relentless and hungry. Oh, God, the sedative’s not working! She ducked inside a stall and climbed onto the toilet seat, bracing herself against the partition panels. On the panel, her light revealed a double toilet paper holder with a shelf; above, the head rail, and then a thick pipe running along the ceiling. Her right foot went onto the toilet paper shelf. She grabbed the edge of the panel, screaming from the pain flashing through her hands, and then hooked her left elbow around the head rail. The right elbow followed, both feet on the shelf, the figures closing in on her.

Interview With Barbara Custer...

Please tell us a little something about you.
I’ve enjoyed horror and science fiction since I was in high school back in the 1970s. My favorite was Dark Shadows, the Hammer films, and years later, Stephen King. I dabbled in writing in my early twenties but didn’t begin writing in earnest until the 1990s. By then, I’d fallen in love with Stephen King’s books, and I fantasized about writing similar tales. So I began writing horror fiction straight away, and later, when my work got into the small press magazines, an editor encouraged me to submit science fiction. Most of what I write today is a cross-genre – horror and science fiction, for example, Steel Rose and now, When Blood Reigns. Night to Dawn published some of my tales before the former editor retired. I’ve been editing the magazine for the last twelve years, and I’m publishing books through the NTD imprint. When I’m not working on my projects, I enjoy a great fright flick. Sometimes I’ll try a new recipe—it never gets too warm for baking. And of course, there’s my balloon collection. Sometimes you’ll find me at the stores, chasing and being chased by Mylar balloons.

What motivated you to become a published author?
Because finances had prohibited my schooling in the early years, my writing lay dormant until I went back to college in the late 80s. My mother died in 1990, and my instructor encouraged me to try creative writing as a way to handle my grief. I sent in my first team with the horror / SF genre, and I’ve found writing very helpful in enabling me to process my grief.

What is the most difficult part of writing for you?
Writing those “slow” but oh, so important scenes are the worst for me. I’m a pantser at heart, and I’ve never been able to follow an outline. I gave it the college try, but the best I can manage a general sense of the plotline with a satisfying ending. For example, I wrote a scene where two men are caught dragging a woman to a zombie pit. I loved writing the drama of the rescue that followed. But then it occurred to me: what led up to her being kidnapped? Was she lured or seized against her will? Where? This is where I’ve got to try and tame the pantser in me, and write a convincing scene of what happened before the her abduction.

Pick a character from your book and describe one of his/her strengths and one of his/her weaknesses?
Let’s go with Alexis. She’s makes a true blue friend and fellow soldier—so often she’ll run into danger to save her teammates. And when Yeron is badly injured, she crawls through an underground hallway to find help, despite multiple cuts and wounds. When her travels take her to a Kryszka compound, she befriends the governor and other people there. At times, though, she lets her emotions get the better of her, and she’ll act impulsively, which almost costs her life.

What is your favorite part of your book?
I can’t say that When Blood Reigns has any one favorite part, but I get a lot of chuckles reading through the scenes that involve Johnny. Some of the things he said and did – the humor – cut through the tension between everyone holed up at the safe house. There’s also one scene I like because it speaks well of protag Alexis – when she crawls through the Kryszka’s compound hallway searching for help for her beloved Yeron despite her own serious injuries.

If you could spend a week anywhere, where would you go and what would you do during that week?
Let’s start with activities. Day 1. Go to an outlet mall. Day 2. Go for a ride on a hot air balloon. Day 3. Get a treatment at the hotel spa. I’d dedicate days 4 and 5 to rest, but on those respective evenings, I’d like to take a tour through a deserted town and look for ghosts. Day 6. Back to the spa. Day 7. Take a leisurely train (or plane) ride home. Where would I like to go? Any place or time that enables me to do these activities in a warm, dry climate.

What genre do you like to read and who are some of your favorite authors?
I favor the horror and science fiction genre. Some of my favorite authors include Jonathan Maberry and Stephen King. However, I will read other genres from time to time because I feel it’s a great way to study character behavior under different circumstances. Being familiar with different genres may enrich the characters in the genre you write.

If you could have any wish granted, what would it be?
I’d like medical science to come up with a cure for Parkinson’s, the disease that took Mike, as I’d hate to see this happen to others. I don’t want just a cure but a way to reverse the damage left by the disease. It’s a gigantic ask, but…

What are you currently working on and when can we expect your next book?
I’m working on a sequel to When Blood Reigns, but I’m still in first draft – writing goes slowly when you work a day job. So the plotline is under wraps. You can expect more zombies, renegade alien soldiers, and this time out, an introduction to new characters.

What advice would you give an aspiring author?
Read as many books as you can, both your genre and others to get a feel for characters and what makes them act out. Assume that your first draft will become history when revising begins. And before you send any book out for submission or self-publication, hire a good editor.

Fun FactsFavorite food – Italian pasta with meatball sauce. I have to use gluten free, but a good brand will taste like conventional pasta.

Person you’d most like to meet – I’d like to meet agent Donald Maass, author of Writing the Breakout Novel. He understands what makes characters tick. He conducts workshops for authors. Writing the Breakout Novel helped me a lot with Steel Rose and When Blood Reigns, and I plan on using it for future works.

Favorite type of movie - one with a character-driven plot. Make me care deeply enough about the characters, and you’ll have my attention, no matter the genre. Of course, with horror or SF, the stakes go up when the monsters attack.
Favorite pastime – Going to an outlet mall. This happens when I’m on vacation, and on vacation, sometimes I check the budget at the garage (or bus station).

Something you like about yourself – I have a compassionate streak – for example, I cook meals for the Aid for Friends.
Favorite type of music – oldies, like the Beach Boys

Elite training, undercover missions, and a life of adventure. As one of the best Navy SEALs in the world, he finds himself in the thick of some of the most violent situations on planet earth.

He’s a warrior.

But when his wife is murdered by terrorist assassins, everything he thinks he knows changes. For Chris Young, everything is about revenge, and finding the people who killed his wife.

He will assemble a team. He will come up with a plan.

He will make them pay.

From the #1 bestselling author of the Collapse Series, Bravo Saga and Zero Trilogy, comes this thrilling adventure novel about one man’s quest to avenge the person he loves most.

Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of 15 novels, including the books of The Collapse Series, The Zero Trilogy, The Bravo Saga, Collapse: The Illustrated Guide and the newly released Unbreakable SEAL. She owns WB Publishing, Writing Belle, and is an experienced creative writing teacher and journalist.

Chris leaned on the counter. He looked down at his hands, calloused and dirty. They were strong hands. Killing hands. The tools of his trade, and he was feeling strangely detached from life in Afghanistan today. His head still echoed with the sound of bullets and the screams of horses. He could still smell the blood and the death.
It was inside him—part of him. Like a physical thing, the blood and carnage of this place had wrapped itself inside his chest and hardened there, making it impossible to sleep at night or to walk from the barracks to the chow hall without resting his hand on his gun, waiting for the attack to come.

Interview with Summer Lane...

What was it like writing SEAL – and what writing methods helped you get it done?
Writing SEAL was crazy! I had a really tight writing schedule – impossible, almost – and I had only a few weeks to write the manuscript’s rough draft. I powered through it with lots of coffee (channeling my inner Lorelai Gilmore), tons of tea, and countless hours of hard work. One of the most helpful writing methods for me is to take a small break every 2-3 hours and to make sure office music is playing at all times.

What kind of music do you listen to while you’re writing?
Anything that provides stimulation. I love classical music, but when I’m trying to write a certain type of book and/or scene, I will sometimes switch the playlist up to something more upbeat for action, morose for sad scenes, sweeping and profound for drama, etc.

How do you stay focused?
Here’s the thing: a lot of people think that writing is basically just somebody sitting down at a computer and pounding on the keyboard, magically popping a bestseller out and working in fuzzy slippers. While I can’t deny the fuzzy slippers (oops), there’s a lot more to it than that, thank you very much. Just as you would be fired for continually failing to show up at any job, if I decided not to work, I pay for it, too. I stay focused by keeping myself in check, reminding myself how far I’ve come, and how far I’d like to continue to go. I break my massive goals up into smaller goals – you can accomplish ANYTHING if you do that. Don’t believe me? Try it! It’s possible, I promise!

Favorite adventure movie of the moment, favorite song of the moment, favorite book of 2016 and favorite TV show?
Okay, here we go. Favorite movie of the moment would have to be Rogue One, even though I haven’t seen it yet. I just know it’s going to be great! My favorite song of the moment is still It Was Always You, by Maroon 5. It’s been my favorite song for over a year, so I think technically the “moment” has passed. My favorite book of 2016 was probably Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I honestly LOVED it, because it was fun and clever and it pulled me into its world. Either that or Puppies, Dogs and Blue Northers by Gary Paulsen (don’t even get me started on Woodsong). My favorite TV show is Gilmore Girls – the original series, not to be confused with the revival. I also really enjoyed Stranger Things. What great writing and originality! Daredevil was pretty incredible, too. I loved John Bernthal’s portrayal of the Punisher. And I’ll stop now, haha.

Matchmaking guru Kennedy Pepperdine’s life is perfect. Perfect job. Perfect friends. Perfect boyfriend. Except...when she gets trapped in an elevator with a handsome stranger, she accidentally confesses a secret: maybe her perfect boyfriend, Justin, isn’t so perfect for her after all. But a matchmaker should be able to successfully match herself, right? Thankfully, she’ll never see the handsome stranger again. Until she heads home with Justin for the holidays and learns that the sexy stranger is none other than Justin’s older brother, Matt.
Matt Ellis is trying to be on his best behavior for his mother—it is Christmas, after all. But when he recognizes the beautiful woman from the elevator—the one he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about for months—his best behavior is being held by a thread. Matt’s always sacrificed for his family, and nothing is more important than their happiness, but the more time he spends around Kennedy, the more he wonders if her supposed "right match" might just be the wrong brother.

Jennifer Shirk has a bachelor degree in pharmacy-which has in NO WAY at all helped her with her writing career. But she likes to point it out, since it shows romantic-at-hearts come in all shapes, sizes, and mind-numbing educations.

She writes sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Samhain Publishing, Avalon Books/Montlake Romance and now Entangled Publishing. She won third place in the RWA 2006 NYC's Kathryn Hayes Love and Laughter Contest with her first book, THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME. Recently, her novel SUNNY DAYS FOR SAM won the 2013 Golden Quill Published Authors Contest for Best Traditional Romance.

Lately she's been on a serious exercise kick. But don't hold that against her.

Kennedy grew silent again. She began chewing her bottom lip. His eyes automatically dropped to her mouth, and for the forty-eighth time since being trapped together, he thought about kissing some sense into that anxious brain of hers.

“You’re right.” Her words were so soft, he wasn’t sure she’d spoken them. “He’s wonderful. Really awesome. But honestly…” She gave him a sharp if slightly tipsy look. “I’ve never said this to anyone, so you can’t tell a soul.”

He gave her a droll look. “Who am I going to tell?”

She stared him down for several seconds as if judging his sincerity. “Cross your heart?”

“Cross my heart,” he repeated, making the motion against his chest.

“Okay.” She bit her lip. “It’s just that…sometimes I doubt we’re meant for each other.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I know it’s crazy,” she murmured. “Especially since I can’t afford for my software to be wrong.”

Before he could respond, the lights overhead flickered. Her head whipped up toward the ceiling. “Thank God!” The elated expression on her face reminded him of a child watching fireworks go off. “We’re finally going to get out of here,” she squealed.

“Yeah…awesome.” Matt swallowed hard. He should be happy, too. Why the hell wasn’t he happy? He’d finally be out of this cramped elevator and away from this anxiety-ridden woman with her boyfriend issues. But instead, all he could do was bank down a strange sense of disappointment at the thought of her walking through those elevator doors and him never seeing her again.

He stood first then held out his hand to help her up. Her palm met his, and he tugged just as the elevator began to move again, causing them to lose their balance. His back slammed against the wall, and she fell into his arms.

“Nice catch,” she said with a laugh, obviously still feeling the effects of the champagne.

Matt held on to her, his heart beating wildly. Having her in his arms ignited all kinds of thoughts, all kinds of feelings. Naughty thoughts. Good feelings. His gaze captured hers for a long moment until eventually her smiling face grew serious, too. Then his conscience tapped him on the shoulder.

What the hell do you think you’re doing? it said. You’ve both been drinking. And she has a boyfriend.

He’d always hated his conscience.

“Matt?”

Matt didn’t move. The elevator was going to open soon. They would be free to leave separately or leave together. There was still a choice. Growing up, he had always been the one to toe the line. Do what was right for everyone else in his life. But so help him, he didn’t want to do that this time. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he wanted her. True, the woman had a boyfriend—a neglectful boyfriend—but still, there were rules for that sort of thing, weren’t there? Like what if…

07 December 2016

Rosemary is fifteen and gloriously free, on her own for the very first time. Part of an exchange program for aspiring artists, she arrives in sunny southern France with a single goal: she doesn’t plan to leave, ever. She wants a new life, a new family, and a new identity. But her situation, crafted from lies big and small, is precarious.

Desperate to escape haunting images from her past and a stage one helicopter parent, Rosemary struggles to hide her lack of artistic talent and a communication disorder that has tormented her all her life. She believes her dream of a new start will come true, until she unwittingly finds herself enveloped in a decades-old mystery that threatens to ruin her only chance for success. Determined to stay, Rosemary must choose whether or not she’ll tell the biggest lie of all, even if it means destroying the life of someone she cares about.

Dramatic, heartwarming, and full of teenage angst, The French Impressionist perfectly captures the struggle of those who feel they have no voice, and also shows the courage it takes to speak up and show the world who we really are.

Rebecca Bischoff currently resides in Idaho with her family and works as a speech-language pathologist. She loves helping others, especially kids and teenagers, discover their own unique voices and learn to share who they are with the world. When she isn’t writing, she loves to read, spend time with her kids, and make awkward attempts to learn foreign languages. She is drawn to all things both French and Italian, used bookstores, and anything made out of chocolate.

-Gollum from the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien: he was pitiful but cruel at the same time, and willing to kill for his undying obsession with the ring. And frankly, he was far scarier to me than the big, glowing eye.

-Dr. Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle: he’s scarily brilliant, is behind most of the crimes Sherlock investigates, has no problem killing anyone who gets in his way, and finally gets the better of Sherlock. I hate this guy.

-Cathy Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: most don’t consider her a villain, but I do! She loves Heathcliff but marries someone else, cruelly mocks her hubby and has an affair with Heathcliff, all while acting like a spoiled brat. She has no redeeming qualities and causes or at least plays a part in all of the bad things that happen in the novel. Die, Cathy, die!

-Jadis, the White Witch from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis: She will turn you into stone and use you to decorate her frozen castle. Besides, eternal winter without Christmas? No Turkish delight for her!

-It (the big, disembodied brain) in A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle: It controls the entire planet of Camazotz, whose citizens must do everything in a bizarre sort of synchrony, and are forced to think exactly alike. I always thought Meg should have grabbed something sharp and turned that thing into a big pile of jello.

-The Grinch from The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss: again with the “no Christmas” thing! Boo!

-President Snow from The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins: the white roses, the smell of blood, the fact that he sent children to fight to the death on live TV every year—he so totally deserved to die!

-Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling: the pink suits, the cutesy kitten fetish, and her fondness for tea and torture. This woman’s creepiness factor was off the charts!

-WICKED from the Maze Runner series by James Dashner. An organization that puts the main characters through a series of life-threatening, torturous tests, with possibly benevolent motives. Is WICKED good? Or not so much? Props to a villain that’s a morally ambiguous organization instead of a single bad guy or girl.

-Voldemort from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling: His name means “flight from death” in French. He killed Harry Potter’s parents. He wants to kill Harry. He has no nose. Everyone’s so afraid of him they won’t say his name. What’s not to hate about this guy? He gets my vote for Bad Guy Number One.

06 December 2016

USA TODAY bestselling author Alexa Riley's first full-length novel shows just what happens when a strong, possessive man finds the woman of his dreams.

I'll never forget the way she looked, so confident and sure of herself. I watched her from a distance. She wasn't ready for me yet. I didn't approach her and I didn't disturb her, but I never once took my eyes off her.

Mallory Sullivan is ready to start her new life. After graduating at the top of her class, she's landed one of the most coveted internships in the United States. Hard work and determination have gotten her to this moment of living the life she only dreamed of while growing up in foster care.

From the start, I knew that she would be my greatest achievement, so the day I let her go, I set down a path for her. A path to me.

She never expected Oz to be the greatest culmination of those dreams. But sometimes fate determines who you fall in love with. Who makes you lose control. Who owns your soul.

And then you realize it wasn't fate at all…

I've wanted to care for and protect her since the first moment I saw her. I've constructed everything in our lives so that at the perfect moment, I could have her, could give her the life she deserves.

The time has come.

Alexa Riley is two sassy friends who got together and wrote some dirty books. They are both married moms of two who love football, donuts, and obsessed book heroes.
They specialize in insta-love, over-the-top, sweet, and cheesy love stories that don’t take all year to read. If you want something SAFE, short, and always with a happily ever after, then Alexa Riley is for you!

We did a little more planning with Everything for Her because it’s longer. We found characters that fit our vision and then did a sort of fact sheet. What they looked like, what they loved to do, their history.. things like that. Then we mapped out where we wanted it, and researched places to eat and fun things to do. It was a long process, but we think it helped make our story the best it could be.

He's also the target of an ancient order who want to capture all drakons for their blood. When fresh, a drakon's blood can cure any illness and prolong a human's life, and the Knights will stop at nothing to get it.

When librarian Sarah Anderson stumbles across a rare book belonging to the Knights of the Dragon, she's quickly thrust into a dangerous world of secrets and shifters and things she never would have believed possible. When the Knights realize Sarah has a secret of her own, she becomes just as much a target as Darius. Her scary dragon shifter just might be her best chance at survival.

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

“Sarah, it’s vitally important I get that book. I need you to think about the security at work. Cameras, guards, alarms, everything.” He’d need to get schematics of the building and more. But he’d start here, with his best inside source. Of course, if she was working with the Knights, this might be nothing more than an elaborate plot to capture him.

It was a risk he had to take.

“You don’t need to know that,” she began.

Darius caught her face in his hands and cradled her cheeks in his palms. “I do, Sarah, I really do. I’m not worried about my life, but those of people close to me.” That was the most he could give her.

“No, you don’t.”

Disappointment seeped into him, and he released her and straightened to his full height. “How much?”

“What?” She sounded bewildered, but he wasn’t buying it. If she wasn’t willing to give him the information he needed, it was because she wanted something. In his vast experience with humans, that meant money in one form or another. It used to be gold and jewels. Nowadays, it was more likely to be a simple bank transfer.

He put his hands on his hips and simply stared at her, trying not to get lost in her chocolate-brown eyes. They appeared so innocent. “How much for the information?”

She jumped to her feet and glared at him. “You son of a bitch. I’m risking a lot to warn you about the book and everything else.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” No way could he let her go until he had the information he needed. “The quicker you give it to me, the faster I can pay you. Then you can leave.”

She fisted her hands at her sides. “I ought to let you pay for it.” Then she fumbled with her knapsack and yanked open the zipper. He wondered if she had a weapon of some kind, and cursed himself for not searching her earlier. Not that it would do her much good. Most conventional weapons, at least any that could fit in her bag, wouldn’t do much damage to him. But it would piss him off.

She reached inside the bag and, instead of a weapon, pulled out an old, leather-bound book. She thrust it against his stomach, and he caught it before it dropped to the floor.

“Here’s your damn book. I smuggled it out of work at great personal risk. You’re welcome.” She stepped around him and strode to the elevator. Sarah slapped her palm against the panel, but nothing happened. Only he could make it work.

Darius stared at the book and then back at the very angry woman waiting for an elevator that would never come.

An unusual sensation enveloped him, one he’d rarely felt in the thousands of years he’d been alive. It was shame with a hint of bewilderment.